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Rogers Cup Finals Preview and Top Tennis Betting Predictions

Tennis Pilot

Sunday, August 11, 2019 9:46 AM UTC

Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019 9:46 AM UTC

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Can Medvedev maintain his elite form against Nadal in Montreal?

<div><h2><strong>Rafael Nadal (1) vs Daniil Medvedev (8)</strong></h2><p><strong>Sunday, 11 August, Montreal</strong></p><p>Strong showing from both selections yesterday who went 4-0 in sets and I’m keen to back Medvedev in some form again today. The young Russian came out on fire against his compatriot and he has arguably been playing the best tennis of anyone this week. Nadal has looked shaky at best this week. Evans in round one came within a point of winning the opening set against Nadal, while Fognini made Rafa look very average indeed in the opening set of their match until injury hampered the Italian’s movement. Rafa was lucky again to have Monfils withdraw from the semi after a long 3 setter against Agut though Nadal does seem to need matches and on this week’s form you would have to give Medvedev every chance today.</p><p>As usual, the Spaniard seems to be improving with each set and it would be unusual for him to lose comfortably in a final even on a hard court - only Federer and Querrey have defeated Nadal in straight sets in a non slam hard court final since 2009. The best option when Rafa is not quite at his best is often to take a chance on both players winning a set. Nadal’s superb recovery ability combined with his tendency to either start slowly or simply be outgunned by a big hitter like Medvedev is a recipe for a swingy match.</p><p>Medvedev’s game is intriguing in that he can be very effective both aggressively and defensively but it’s likely to be the aggression we see today. His main weapons for the week have been his serve and forehand though he’s been dangerous from all angles. He has traded the opening two sets in 10 of his 16 matches priced over 2 against top 10 opposition again testifying to his ability to stay with the very best but also his tendency to struggle to maintain his high level for a whole match - he very nearly lost the second set to Khachanov yesterday from a break up.</p><p>On balance it would be surprising to me if either had an easy time of it today. Medvedev opened almost a point longer than his current price and 3.25 looks short enough, though that may still feel value on the day. Instead I’ll opt to take a chance on a tight fought match with swings in both directions.</p><p><a href="https://a.oddsmarket.com/record/v?c=150&amp;a=bf7f64f4-cd67-4904-9b00-6ded1d41fd18&amp;f=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Tennis Betting Odds"><strong><em>Best tip for the match: Total Sets: 3 at 2.62 (13/8) with Bet365</em></strong></a></p><p><strong><em><a href="http://a.oddsmarket.com/record/v?c=164&amp;a=f339dce1-88de-4994-ab6a-c24e019bdf3b&amp;f=3" target="_blank"><img alt src="https://cmscdn.staticcache.org/assets/image/0003/1348572/WHC_27064_Updated-In-Play-Tennis-Insurance_1280x480NEW.jpg" style="width:100%" /></a></em></strong></p><h2><strong>Bianca Andreescu vs Serena Williams (8)</strong></h2><p><strong>Sunday, 11 August, Toronto</strong></p><p>Much like the Medvedev clash we have two players here in contrasting positions this week. Serena has looked shaky in virtually all of her matches winning just 44.8% on her second serve and relying on her ever potent first delivery. Andreescu by contrast has been excellent in her comeback tournament showing the grit and determination that characterised her early season form.</p><p>Not that Bianca has done it the easy way - 4 of her 5 matches have gone the distance and she very nearly lost the second set of her last match. Naturally a player coming back from injury will need a few matches to warm up and I’d imagine the cinks will still be showing today. Regardless, Andreescu has gone the distance in 5 of her 6 matches as underdog against the top 10, all this year.</p><p>Serena is not the player of old but it is still worth noting that she has not lost a match in Canada in straight sets since 2009 - 23 matches in a row and just 1 of 29 in total. Plus just 4 of her last 20 matches priced 1.5 to 1.99 have seen Serena lose in straight sets. Her match against Bouzkova displayed both her inconsistency, losing the opener 6-1, and ability to grit it out even after a dismal opening set.</p><p>Serena has lost her last 5 finals on the bounce (2 exhibitions) and while the opposition has been fierce she will surely be feeling nervous about today’s match. I’m not hugely keen on Andreeescu’s price who, like Medvedev, has been cut from her opening price of 2.75 to a more reasonable 2.37 with most bookies. Instead I again like the option of taking both to win a set expecting Serena to struggle from the back of the court but dominate behind her powerful serve.</p><p><a href="https://a.oddsmarket.com/record/v?c=150&amp;a=4fd3c129-b898-4816-9a61-9f7e8f34295a&amp;f=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Tennis Betting Odds"><strong><em>Best tip for the match: Total Sets: Over 2.5 sets at 2.45 (29/20) with Unibet</em></strong></a></p></div>